Monday, June 27, 2011

Good afternoon, everyone! I'm very excited to finally share the first edition of the new feature I've been planning! Thrift Favorites will be a weekly or every-other weekly feature in which I ask several bloggers to share one of their favorite thrifted finds with you. These first three ladies are some of my very favorite bloggers, and I'm thrilled that they participated! They're all so sweet, and their styles (as well as their finds) are amazing! I have no end of good things to say about these three. So without further ado, here are Miranda, Laura, and Maria!

First up is Miranda of Little Gold Pocket Watch! As well as being very kind, she's got the cutest style, the best photos, and the prettiest eyes! And I'm sticking to my guns with my opinion that she could be a model. She's a natural in front of the camera!- always smiling, never looking at all awkward. I wish I could say the same for myself :) You can see her complete outfit post here. Isn't she adorable?!

"There's a consignment shop in town that I've fallen in love with and I've bought several cool thrifted pieces there. This little black dress is my favorite! When I first saw it, it was about $50, and I just couldn't spent that much money on a used dress. I accepted that the dress would never be mine... but the next time I came to the shop, there it was, right in the middle of the sale rack! And it was only $11! Just another reason to love it :) "

Next is Laura of Blorange Dice. When I first found her blog, I loved it immediately! She feels very real to me...if that makes sense. There's just something very natural about her, her photos, and her blog! And the colors and color combinations I see on her blog always make me wish I could paint so I could use her color schemes in a piece of art. She's very easy to talk to and always has something sweet to say. Her kind comments are one of the things that made me love blogging as much as I do. :) Make sure you check her out!

"While there is no way on the planet that I could ever choose one, single favorite thrifted item out of my closet, this crop top is among one of the many that I love. I think I got it last summer for like two $2. I love pairing it with high waisted shorts like the ones I'm wearing (also thrifted) and long, flowy skirts! No matter how much money I may ever end up acquiring in the future, I will never stop thrifting. There's something beautiful/addicting about the search, the price, and the originality of the stuff that has made me a thrifter for life!"

And last, but never least is Maria of First Impressions. I am constantly blown away by her talent in....well, everything she does! She is one of the sweetest people I've ever (sort of) met, and her outfits and pictures are always so whimsical and beautiful! I wish I could have had her knack for things when I was her age! I predict great things for this one's future :) Keep an eye out for her!

(Also, I ask for a couple of pictures and she gives me a whole outfit post! :D How great is she? Thanks for going above and beyond, Maria.)

"The question Victoria asked for this feature, "What is your favorite thrifted find?" is such a tough question. So much of what I wear is thrifted, but to pick one single solitary favorite? It was difficult, but I decided that these tawny vintage heels are most definitely my favorite. They're incredibly versatile and go with almost everything. The heels are shorter, so I can wear them more comfortably for longer periods of time. And they're just pretty comfy in general. You can see how I've worn them in other ways: here, here, here, here, and here.

P.S. And may I also mention that the gorgeous floral crown I'm wearing was made for me by Victoria? Isn't she the sweetest? ♥"

Thank you three so much for participating! This was my first time making any real effort to talk to any other bloggers, and I had so much fun with it! It was great to meet these lovely people, and I can't wait to meet more of you! I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to stop by their blogs! I swear that you won't be disappointed in the least!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

I had a post planned, but yesterday I found out that my grandmother had had a heart attack and needed a double bypass, so I guess lost my drive to do it. The surgery went well, but as of now she still hasn't woken up (after more than 24 hours) and is listed as being in critical condition. So tomorrow my mom and I will be driving to a town in Southern New Mexico (almost Texas) to be with her and the rest of my mom's family. While this is definitely weighing very heavily on my mind, there's something that I keep thinking of even more. And as horrible as I feel about how much I've been thinking about it and how selfish it is, I just can't get it to go away.

We'll be at the hospital most of the day, probably until my grandma is sent home. The thought of spending any significant amount of time in hospitals makes me want to cry and scream and kick. My family and I are no stranger to hospitals. A good portion of my childhood was spent in various hospitals, and though I was never a patient, my sister Laureana had been on and off since she was 11 (I was 9).

One day she just woke up sick and didn't get better. She slowly lost her ability to walk, talk, and eat on her own. Eventually she lost all of these abilities completely. She was taken to doctor after doctor and no one could figure out what was wrong with her. Eventually though, a diagnosis was found at UCLA hospital- it was a one of a kind illness that had been triggered by the West Nile Virus. For quite some time, no one knew how to treat her, but even once they had found a way, there was still a very long way to go. During this time, sometimes my brother (who was 13 or 14 at the time) and I would have to stay home by ourselves so we wouldn't miss too much school (our grandparents live about two minutes away, so we were always safe and had everything we needed, but we essentially had to be adults at a time in our lives when both of us, but especially I was still extremely attached to and needed our parents very much) or my brother, parents, and I would spend days, weeks, sometimes even months in hospitals with Laureana.

At one point, she gained back the abilities she had lost. For one year, she was able to walk and talk- shakily at first, and she still had to have part of her nutrition though a feeding tube, but for the time that it lasted, it was miraculous. Then she relapsed. And back to the hospitals we went.

Her illness changed in many ways over the next few years. I remember there was a time when something went wrong with her feeding tubes that made her scream like she was possessed and scratch and fight when we fed her because it hurt her so much, but we had no other option because she couldn't take her food by mouth. At one point she weighed something like 60 pounds because of it. I remember when we had to build a ramp onto our house so her wheelchair could get up. I remember a laminated piece of paper with the alphabet printed on it that she used to talk. I remember the terrible eating disorder she developed toward the end of her illness. I remember her starting to eat again. I remember taking her into the fields and trees of our ranch to take her Senior pictures and helping her stand on her own (with the help of a tree)- and it being the first time she had done so in years. I remember a second and third set of first words. I remember the OCD about cleanliness and healthiness she developed and how it faded into her kooky sort of health nuttiness she has now. I remember seeing my sister make an unbelievable change into the person who she is today. The person you would never guess in a million years had ever had more than a cold in her life. She has been healthy for about a year now.

But as selfish as it is, I remember basketball games I couldn't go to because my parents were in the hospital with my sister and there was no one to take me. I remember everything happening in "hospital time"-we hardly ever left until hours after my parents had told me. I remember feeling distanced from my friends because I was always missing school. I remember being bored and lonely. I remember crying. I remember staying in at least five Ronald McDonald houses and being cooped up in hotel rooms. I remember spending at least one of almost every holiday in a hospital- Chistmas, Easter, Valentines Day...you name it. And though I know that I have gone through nothing compared with my sister, my family, and many, many other people in the world, I can't help but think of the bad experiences whenever I know I have to spend time in a hospital. I know that my family needs me and that to go is the right thing to do, but it's extremely hard for me to handle. I do feel like just writing this down has helped, though. It's at least calmed me down from the mini meltdown I was having.

I know that sharing this here rather than with people who I actually really know might seem silly...but I don't really feel like there's anyone who I can actually talk to about this at the moment. I just sort of feel that I needed to explain how I feel to people completely unconnected with the situation. Don't ask me why. So thank you so much to anyone who read this. And please send good thoughts my Grandma's way- she's the one who matters right now. After having written this, I feel like I'll be able to concentrate more on that.

(I guess when they say to write a letter to get your feelings out, they knew what they were talking about.)

Monday, June 20, 2011

I've been realizing lately that I am almost constantly waiting for something. Whether it's a vacation, nighttime, a package...whatever. I am always waiting. And while waiting and looking foreword to things isn't necessarily a bad thing at all, it's a different matter when that's almost all you do. I always put my sights on some thing in the future and meanwhile, life tends to pass me by. It shouldn't be, but living life as it comes is a lot harder than you'd think. At least for me. I guess it's just something I need to work on.

I suppose these pictures were taken in that light. They didn't turn out quite how I wanted, but hopefully you get the gist.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Hello! I just wanted to pop in and finally share my thrift finds from Colorado! I had pretty good luck, especially for Goodwill. Maybe it's just where I live, or the one's I've been in, but I've never liked Goodwills much. I usually find them a bit overpriced and they've just never really had a very good feel to me, but the one in Old Colorado City was great! I got everything in this post there except for the purse. :) I talk a bit more about everything in my video (link at the end), so check it out if you'd like!

1. This cream colored dress with lace details ($4)

2. Checked mini dress with floral neckline (for the shop!)

3. Nautical faux-wrap skirt (for the shop, too!)

4. Lace-up leather flats ($3)

5. Studded wedges ($4)

And last, I got this amazing purse at a vintage shop for $19. The detail on it is amazing and it's in such good condition! I love the 3D-ness of the mushrooms...I'm just kind of enamored with this purse in general. :)

Aaaand!

A kind of embarrassing thrift haul I made. I've been watching them for a while now, and I felt like it would be fun to share some finds of my own in video form as a little change! I sort of feel a little dumb for making this, but it was actually pretty fun to make despite my nerves, so I think that should be what matters. I also think I sound a little ditzy, but ah well. I'd really love to know what you think!